Image credit: BAQME
To reduce the use of vehicles for short trips within the cities which leads to traffic jams, Amsterdam-based mobility startup BAQME has announced that its shared e-box bikes are now available in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.
How does it help?
BAQME claims that its goal is to make you independent of a car for short journeys. Too many journeys are currently made by car within urban areas. And, according to the company, more than half of all car journeys are less than 7.5 kilometres.
With BAQME’s app, users can book an electric box bike to travel in the city. These bikes can help reduce traffic jams in the cities as well as save people from spending on expensive parking spots. And comparatively, electric box bikes are a fast, affordable, and sustainable alternative to car trips.
BAQME is launching with 40 e-box bikes in Rotterdam first but will expand soon. In the near future, the company aims to expand this service to other Dutch and European cities.
Berenice van Gessel, a co-founder of BAQME, says, “We want urban areas to be designed for people, not cars. Cars stand still 95 per cent of the time, occupying a disproportionate part of the public space. We hope that the inhabitants of Rotterdam are welcoming this new shared way of transportation and use it as an alternative for a (second) car, that is often used for the short trips in the city.”
Since these e-box bikes are shared, one doesn’t have to spend a fortune to purchase one. Moreover, the company itself takes care of the maintenance and battery charging of the bikes.
How does it work?
According to the company, users can locate the electric box bikes nearest to them, via the BAQME app. These bikes can be unlocked with the users’ phones.
“The maximum speed with pedal assistance is 25 kilometres p/h and with a full battery, you can cycle about 40 to 50 kilometres. But also without pedal assistance, you can hit the road, because all BAQME bicycles have at least 7 gears,” mentions the company in the press release.
It claims that the e-box bike model generally fits two children and a dog or two large grocery bags. When using BAQME to transport parcels or construction materials, users are able to carry a maximum of 80kg with them. The price is €0.15 per minute with a minimum of €0.50 per ride. Also, pausing the ride costs €0.05 per minute when you want to do a quick pitstop.
After the users’ chores have been completed, they park the e-box bike and end the ride in the app for others to use it. Users can choose a dedicated parking zone to end their ride, instead of parking at a fixed parking spot. Also, users have to click a photo of the e-box bike so the company can ensure correct parking behaviour.
About BAQME
BAQME was founded during the Covid-19 pandemic in August 2020 by Souren Arakelian and Sven Velthuis.
Berenice van Gessel has recently joined as a co-founder and investor. Van Gessel used to work at Uber being responsible for JUMP operations in EMEA and the Uber Operations in the Benelux region.
It is a sharing platform for electric cargo bikes. Through its app, users can find and use an electric shared cargo bike at any time.
The company has mentioned on its platform that if the e-box bike is stolen despite you properly locking it (with the chain lock attached to a fixed object), you are not liable for theft. However, you are obliged to report this to the police.
